Gender Change Drabbles
by princessofthedeadsheep
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin! If Yumi and Aelita had been assigned male at birth, and William, Ulrich, Odd, Jeremy (and incidentally Hiroki as well) were assigned female at birth.
1. Simple Introductions

**I changed the names, but tried to keep it in the spirit of the originals, with the exception being Odd, as I firmly believe his name is heavily influenced by being the only son, and his sisters all have distinctly feminine names to his own masculine name. Hiroki and Yumi I simply switched them as I figured their parents had a boy name and a girl name in mind when Yumi was born and used the remaining boy name for Hiroki. Willa is a feminine form of William, Rachele (pronounced with a k sound instead of a ch sound) is like the only Italian name I found that doesn't end in A, Joëlle has a similar meaning to Jeremy, Ulrike is the feminine form of Ulrich, pronounced with an A sound at the end, and Aias (e-aks) is an old obscure name I'm sure Franz Hopper would have loved. **

"RACHELE! GET OUT OF THE DAMN BATHROOM!"

"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE ELIZABETH!"

"MOM! THAT'S LOUISE! I'M ELIZABETH!"

Rachele Della Robbia, youngest of the Della Robbia girls, tried her best to ignore the shouting as she finished getting ready. It wasn't like shouting wasn't a common thing in the Della Robbia household, after all.

"I'll be out in a minute!" she called to Louise.

"GOOD!" her sister shouted back, even though she was just outside the door. Irritated, Rachele grabbed her night clothes and picked up her dog Kiwi (she'd had to beg and plead for him, but it had been worth it) before opening the bathroom door and almost immediately being shoved out of the way by her sister. Kiwi barked at her, but Louise was too busy shoving them past the doorframe to care. Just as the door closed, Rachele was practically thrown into it as Adele rounded the corner at run.

"Did you take my favorite skirt?" she demanded.

"Why would I want your favorite skirt? It's ugly." Rachele replied, receiving a glare and a huff from her sister. Rachele tugged at her hand-me down dress, sniffing in anger at her sister's attitude before she collapsed on her bed in irritation. It totally, one hundred percent, sucked to be the youngest Della Robbia girl.

* * *

Aias stared at his father in complete and utter disbelief. "You want me to what?"

"I want you to get in the scanner. There isn't time, hurry!"

"Dad, what's going on? I know you've been avoiding the men in black but you've never told me why-"

"There isn't time!" Franz shoved his son, his only child, into the scanner and hurried to the other one just before it closed, barely making it in time. When Aias materialized on Lyoko, he looked down to find himself in a pink elf outfit.

"Really dad? I know it matches the hair, but-" he cut himself off when he looked at the glowing ball of light above him. "Uh dad?"

"I didn't have the time to make an avatar for me like I did for you."

"So the whole pink elf thing was planned?" Aias asked, slightly irritated. Unfortunately, his father never got to answer, as just then Xana chose to attack. Aias was separated from his father, hid in the tower as his father shut down the supercomputer. When he woke up again, it was to the supremely surprised face of a blonde haired girl.

* * *

"I assure you Sissi, I do not need you to room with me." Ulrike did her best to sound convincing. She didn't entirely mind Sissi, but she did NOT want to room with her.

"Are you sure Ulrike? We could do each other's makeup and talk about boys before we go to sleep and-"

"No, really!" Ulrike interrupted feeling a bit like she was being trapped in a cage. "I'm fine."

"Well, if you're sure." Sissi relented.

"I'm absolutely certain," Ulrike said with some relief. And for over one glorious year, she had a two person dorm all to herself. Then one day...

"Hey, are you Ulrik Stern?" she turned to find a very feminine girl standing beside her desk in science.

"It's Ulrik_e_," she said, emphasizing the A sound at the end of her name. "Who's asking?"

"Her new roommate, Rachele Della Robbia!" the girl said. Ulrike gave her a quick onceover. The girl wore a purple dress that was stylish, if a bit older than usual. Her hair was bright blond with purple tips, which she had in a bob that emphasized the oddly sharp features of her face. The only makeup Ulrike could identify was the bright purple lipstick that was expertly applied to the girl's lips.

Ulrike barely suppressed a groan. Great, another girly girl. She was surrounded.

* * *

Willa was about ready to tear her hair out. Hiroki Ishiyama was a very handsome, very kind boy. Willa really wanted to date him. She would even have asked him out directly if she thought that was going to work. She'd pulled out all of her best flirting mechanisms, ones that had worked wonders at her old school before she'd finally lost it after that one boy wouldn't stop ignoring her- if he didn't like her than he should _fucking say so_, not play cat and mouse with her- but nothing seemed to get through to the ever more oblivious Hiroki.

The thing that really clinched it for her though was when she looked over at him while they were working on a project. Ulrike, Rachele, Joëlle and Aias were sitting in the usual place, waiting for Hiroki. Hiroki was looking at Ulrike, and the look on his face was one of utter affection. Ulrike caught Hiroki's stare and the both looked away and blushed. Even the eternal optimist couldn't turn this around. This crush was _so_ doomed.

* * *

Joëlle was about to beat her head on her computer. Why oh why wasn't the materialization program working? A small window popped up on her screen. "Joëlle, it's very late. You should get to bed."

"I know Aias," she sighed, pushing her glasses up as she rubbed her eyes and finally let out a yawn. "I just don't understand what's going wrong. I've done everything I can think of, and yet, there is still something I'm missing."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out later, but that'll be twice as hard if you don't sleep." His sweet face turned worried. "It's bad for you not to get enough sleep, didn't you say?"

"Yeah, I did." She smiled at Aias- the boy was so cute- before finally saving her work. "I'll head to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Good night Joëlle."

"Good night Aias." She got into bed and watched as the screen went dark, before finally going to sleep.


	2. Confession

**Actually, one drabble... almost a ficlet... I GOT EXCITED OKAY it just kept coming and I had to write it all... so this is gender changed ulumi. I figure that with traditional parents, Yumi would think along the lines that the boy makes the first move, and Yumi has always had more self confidence than Ulrich, so in this situation I think Yumi (Hiroki) would have the confidence to confess to Ulrich (Ulrike) that Ulrich didn't have in the original series.**

Hiroki Ishiyama stared at his parents nervously, tugging at his hair. They hadn't realized he was standing in the door yet, and he had waited for his younger sister, Yumi, to leave before he went to talk to his parents.

"Uh, mom, dad..." his parents looked up, as he fiddled with his clothes, embarrassed.

"What is it Hiroki?" his mother asked kindly, though with undeniable curiosity. Hiroki tried to hide his blush.

"How do you, um... how do you... tell a girl that you like her?" he asked, his voice close to a squeak. The delighted looks on his parent's faces were actually a little bit disturbing.

"A girl's caught your eye huh?" his father had a distinctly proud look. "Is it one of your friends?" Hiroki refused to answer that.

"If you're not going to help me, then forget it." He muttered, starting to walk away.

"Hold on Hiroki, you know your father's just teasing. We'll help you." and his mother sent a glare to his father that seemed to settle him down. Once Hiroki was seated across from them, his father started.

"First, what kind of a person is this girl?" he asked. Hiroki looked at him for only a moment before focusing on the floor. Hiroki thought of Ulrike, arguing with Rachele in that passionate but friendly way of theirs.

"She's shy and yet snarky... but once she gets to know you, she can be really..." He thought of how she'd blushed when she'd given him his birthday present, insisting it really wasn't much. His lip quirked, "...sweet. She likes sports, and regularly petitions the school to allow girls to join whatever team they want. She's really pretty, too. She has a lot of guys interested in her. I know she's gotten confessions regularly." Hiroki bit his lip.

"She sounds wonderful," his mother said with a gentle smile.

"And a bit of a challenge. Do you think she likes you?" his father asked. Hiroki frowned, thinking of all the times she'd caught Ulrike looking at her, or the times Ulrike had caught him looking and had blushed.

"I think so," he said after a moment, "and Ra- I mean her friend says that she likes me, but she could just be messing around."

"Well you won't know until you try." His mother said gently.

"That's right," his father said. "Now, here's what you do."

* * *

Ulrike had woken up that morning to a knock on her door, but when she opened it and looked out, no one was there, and on the ground she found a single white rose laying over the CD she'd complained about wanting for forever. There was no note, only the rose. She was always weary of gifts; Xana and unfriendly boys were both worries for her, unfortunately. Still, she took both the rose and the CD into the room.

"Whas that?" Rachele asked sleepily from her bed, which she had yet to leave.

"The CD I wanted and... a rose."

"Who's it from?" Rachele sat up, looking slightly more aware.

"I don't know. And until I do, I probably shouldn't listen to the CD."

"That's absolute nonsense. In fact, you should listen to it right now." Rachele grabbed it from Ulrike, and put it in the CD player before she could get it back.

"Rachele! What if it's another one of Xana's tricks?" but even as she said it, the music started, and Ulrike was just about ready to kiss the ground. "Oh. My. God. It sounds just as good as I thought it would!" she tried not to squeal in excitement, but ultimately failed. Rachele just grinned at her.

"It seems you have a secret admirer," she teased. Ulrike glared at her.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Who, me?" she asked innocently, fluttering her eyelashes. Then she dropped the innocent act and shrugged. "Seriously though, I actually have no clue."

It only got stranger from there. There was a light pink rose stuck in her locker, another on her desk in science (lavender), another on her desk in English (peach), then another in her locker (orange), then she got one delivered to her by a resigned looking Willa (yellow with a red tip), and by the end of it, she was feeling thoroughly confused.

"Who is giving me all of these flowers?" Ulrike asked, unable to hide the blush on her face as she sat down to lunch. Many of the girls had been giggling and swooning at the flowers. Everyone giggling about her having a secret admirer when she said that she did not know who they were from.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious." Joëlle said from behind her as she and Aias went to sit down across from them. Aias looked at him confused, as did Ulrike. Rachele only smirked, exchanging a look with Joëlle.

"You know who it is?" Ulrike asked. "Tell me!"

"I can't just tell you," she complained, "that's why the person giving them hasn't just popped up and handed you one. It's supposed to be at least a little bit mysterious. Plus... if you know anything about the language of flowers, it paints a particular picture."

"Flowers have a language? I didn't think they could talk." Aias asked, confused.

"Ah, not quite. They symbolize things. In this case, roses especially tend to be associated with love, but different colors of roses mean different things." Joëlle answered him, patient as ever.

"Tell me what they mean, please." Ulrike asked Joëlle desperately, clutching onto the small bouquet.

"Yes, what do they mean?" Aias asked excitedly. Joëlle sighed.

"Fine, I'll tell you. A white rose means all the usual- purity, innocence, all that- but it also means, 'I am worthy of you'. Light pink means admiration, gentleness, grace and joy. Lavender means love at first sight or enchantment. Peach means gratitude and sincerity, and is symbolic of closing a deal or entering a relationship. It's basically like saying 'let's get together'. Orange is desire and passion, and most telling of all- yellow with a red tip. Yellow roses are symbolic of friendship, while red roses are symbolic of love. To put red on a yellow rose is to say 'a friend is falling in love with you'. Now," she said with some impatience, "does that maybe even possibly sound like someone we know that is a friend of yours whom we also haven't seen at all today, for some reason?"

To Ulrike's credit, it took her only a few seconds. "You don't mean Hiroki?" she squeaked, bring the roses to her face in an attempt to cover the blush that began to spread.

"No, clearly I was speaking of the President. Of course I mean Hiroki!" Joëlle rolled her eyes. "Between the god awful sexual tension and the blushing every time the two of you look at each other, I struggle to believe that it could honestly be anyone else."

Ulrike looked like she was at a loss for words, but she was luckily saved from having to discover anymore by the appearance of Sissi. Sissi was holding a red rose with a note hung on its stem. "For you Ulrike," she grinned. "Looks like your admirer is ready to confess!"

Sure enough, the note told her to meet the person over by the field. Ulrike wasn't too far in denial to dismiss the familiarity of the handwriting. "What do I do?" she asked her friends.

"You go! Right now!" Rachele told her.

"The worst that can happen is that you turn him down and you both move on. Please, go." Joëlle said as Rachele began to push her out of her seat. Nervously, she began to walk away from her friends. The last thing she heard was Aias.

"Wow, those flowers sure have a lot of meaning. How did you know all of that Joëlle?"

She made her way to the field, and sure enough, it was Hiroki. He was sitting there on the edge of the bleachers, nervously fiddling with his shirt. His head whipped up when he saw Ulrike approaching and he quickly got up.

"So... you've been... sending me flowers..." Ulrike said haltingly. The blush on her face had not subsided, and was quickly being matched by Hiroki's.

"Yes... I've been- I mean I thought-" he winced at his mangled words, before taking a deep breath and spitting out "it's just that I really really like you and I would be absolutely thrilled if you agreed to be my girlfriend."

Ulrike felt her heart jump into her throat. Blushing furiously, she dug her foot into the ground, not quite looking at Hiroki. "A lot of people say that, but most of them only think I'm pretty," she muttered.

"That's not true! I mean, you are pretty, but that isn't it. You're kind and you're snarky and you look out for others and you're a great fighter! There are a ton of good things about you!" he insisted. Ulrike blushed even harder, but she looked up this time, made eye contact.

"You really think so?" she asked shyly.

"Absolutely!" Hiroki said with such confidence that it made her feel... well, good was the only word she could think of.

"I'm not going to change for you." she said it quietly, but firmly. "I'm still... I'm still going to be me."

"I wouldn't want you to change. It's you that I like. That I think I might even come to love." Hiroki said with more confidence than he honestly felt. "So how about it?"

"...Yes."

"Really?!"

"I just said yes, didn't I?" but Ulrike was smiling, and Hiroki could barely contain his joy. He wanted to swoop her into a hug and kiss her smack on the lips, but he settled for taking her hand and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Let's go tell the others." He said, still holding her hand. She nodded, still smiling, still blushing, and they walked back to the cafeteria together, hands swinging between them.

**Got the rose info from ****rkdn roses/colors. asp**


	3. A Little of Lyoko

**Hello again! I know I'm updating these the fastest, but that's because they're so simple that they're a good winding down writing process. Something to get rid of writer's block and the like. I'll get to my other stories, promise.**

Ulrike had always known, despite what she'd been told, that she was a warrior. As such, when she appeared on Lyoko only to realize she was a samurai, her response was, she thought, perfectly reasonable.

"HA! TAKE THAT DAD! I'M A FUCKING SAMURAI!"

Rachele's had been more what one would expect.

"A cat girl? Ugh, no one tell. I'll be chased by all kinds of weirdos."

Hiroki just seemed pleased.

"I'm a ninja? Nice. Bet I've got some great projectile weapons on me somewhere. This is gonna rock."

Aias had to be coaxed from behind a rock the first time he went to Lyoko after getting back his memory.

"Dad did this just to mess with me. He always had a horrible sense of humor. I know my hair is pink! That doesn't mean everything I ever wear has to be pink too! Why dad? Why did you have to do this to me?"

Willa was a far more practical thinker.

"Why is this sword so big? I mean, I like to smash things as much as the next person, but this just seems unreasonable. Plus I have to use two hands to wield it! Impractical, that's what this is."

/

Ulrike was trying her hardest not to lose her temper. It was not working.

"MY NAME IS ULRIKE! THERE IS AN A SOUND AT THE END! MY NAME IS NOT ULRICH!" she shouted it after the fifth person got her name wrong within the span of four minutes. The whole room turned to stare at her, and though she blushed at the attention, she was angry enough she didn't shrink back and instead glared around. There were a few moments of silence before everyone turned back to what they were doing. Ulrike felt a tug at her shirt. She turned to see Aias look at her sympathetically.

"Everyone gets my name wrong too," he told her. "It's been that way since I was little. Dad always said it was a strong name and I should be proud to have it, but most of the time it irritated me to no end." Ulrike sat down next to him, looking slightly dejected.

"I just wish people would listen to me and actually call me by my actual name." She admitted. "I mean, I get a ton of attention whether I want it or not. I just find it unbelievable that so many people can't pronounce my name correctly. It's mostly girls too. I think they're mocking me." Aias pulled Ulrike into a side hug.

"The ones who matter remember. How about we work on this project together, hmm? That way you won't have to deal with everyone else."

"What about Joëlle?" she asked, looking to where she was speaking with Mrs. Hertz.

"We can work in threes, remember? And I know that the reason you even had to deal with everyone else is because Rachele ditched you to hang out with one of her new boyfriends." Aias placed a hand on the shoulder of her green jacket. "Join us, it'll be fun." His smile was so kind, his effort so sincere, and his offer so enticing, Ulrike didn't even think about saying no.

/

Willa joining the team wasn't a very fancy affair. After she'd stumbled onto the factory for the fifth time, told them about the dreams, and been useful (for the fifth time), they finally agreed to let her join the team. She'd nearly been captured by the Scyphozoa but had managed not to be trapped by it, though the thing creeped her out something fierce.

Her most prominent memories of joining the team are the touch of their hands as they congratulate her, the humming of the scanner and the slight fear something would go wrong, as well as the overwhelming joy that this was happening, at last.

Hiroki's smile, Joëlle's calculating expression, the way Aias can't seem to stay still, how Rachele doesn't seem quite able to get rid of that smile, Ulrike's warning looks. They jumble into a vivid mess of feelings and so later that night, Willa wonders why the one thing she can remember being said at all is:

"Hey, wait a minute. There are too many girls. Where are the boys? I can't date Aias or Hiroki, they're taken!"

/

Willa watched from afar as Ulrike and Hiroki got closer and closer. It was a very depressing sight. It was also confusing, because even after seeing this, though she tried to move on completely, she still wanted him.

"They're not going to break up, you know." Willa turned. Rachele smiled sadly at her. "Well, they may, but not for real. Those two are going to get married, mark my words."

"You're not making me feel any better," Willa replied with a scowl.

"Who said I was trying to?" Rachele said flippantly. Willa sighed.

"I know I don't have a chance-"

"I didn't say that," Rachele interrupted. "You have two options. Move on, date someone else, or..."

"Or what?" Willa asked, looking at Rachele's Cheshire smirk with trepidation.

"Well, you can always join them. Good old ménage à trois." Willa turned to stare at her incredulously.

"_Excuse_ me?" she blurted out in shock. Rachele's grin only got wider. She gestured over towards Ulrike and Hiroki, didn't speak again until Willa's attention was focused on them.

"It's the easiest way of going about it. Of course, you'd have to warm your way up to both of them, but that shouldn't be too hard now that you're one of us. You have the chance to impress them both. Then again... you don't have to." She ghosted down next to Willa's ear and whispered "You've already impressed me." Willa started, turned hastily towards Rachele only to find that she'd disappeared.

"Great, just great. Now I'm even more confused." Willa slumped in her seat, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks, forever grateful she didn't blush much.


	4. Meet the Parents: Ishiyama Addition

**Hello again! I'm excited to have started this next bit of the gender change drabbles. I decided I'd do a meet the parents of each of the relationships I have currently, so that's at least two more drabbles to look forward to. I hope you guys enjoy!**

Ulrike didn't think she'd ever been more nervous in her life. She'd readjusted her shirt nearly a dozen times before they'd even left Kadic. Hiroki gave a fond sigh beside her and she blushed when she caught the look he was giving her.

"You don't have to be so nervous, you know. My parents will love you, they're already really excited to meet you."

"You don't know that for sure," Ulrike said, continuing to fidget with her shirt until Hiroki caught her hand and brought it up to his lips, stopping them both halfway down the sidewalk.

"I assure you, my heart, my parents will be thrilled by my choice." He then pressed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, another on her elbow to make her snort in amusement, and the last on her cheek, causing her to blush. "There is nothing you need to be nervous about."

Though her nerves were still there, she felt a lot better and the two continued walking, hand in hand, in quiet contentment before they reached Hiroki's house. Ulrike felt a sudden bubble of anxiousness burst in her stomach and had to swallow down the butterflies desperately trying to escape. Hiroki opened the door and called in "We're here!" and Ulrike heard someone call back to him. She stood there nervously as Hiroki showed her where to put her shoes and quietly explained that they wore slippers in the house, pulling some out of the cupboard and helping her put them on her feet.

None of the Lyoko warriors had met Hiroki's parents in anything similar to a formal meeting. All meetings had been brief and some of them weren't even remembered, at least by his parents. It was not encouraging. She trailed behind Hiroki nervously as she was led towards a living room, of sorts. She didn't know what it was called in Japan, or what the Ishiyama's called it, but that's what she'd call it. Yumi and her father were playing a game, but they looked up when Hiroki and Ulrike came in.

"Ulrike!" Yumi cried, eager as always to see her. Ulrike couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. She was exasperatedly fond of Hiroki's younger sister, despite herself.

"Yumi!" Hiroki hissed in irritation as Yumi pushed him out of the way to hug Ulrike, who gave her an unsure pat on the back as a small blush colored her cheeks.

"Ha, I knew you and Hiroki were perfect for each other! I knew it!" Yumi said with a smugness that did not suit her age, Ulrike thought as her cheeks flushed even hotter. Yumi didn't get much chance to say anything else as an irate Hiroki pulled her away, putting a hand over her mouth. Then their father was standing before Ulrike, chuckling, extending his hand as he introduced himself. She didn't really hear what he said, but she managed to smile politely and say her name alright, before remembering that a greeting was necessary, and immediately flushing- and her blush had only just begun to die down- and apologizing.

"It's alright, a little nervous, are you? I remember going to see Akiko's parents the first time. I accidently dropped my bowl of rice all over myself. I'm lucky they found it endearing." He told her with a smile. She managed to give a more genuine smile this time, she felt Hiroki grab her hand and felt a little better.

"They thought it was good he was so nervous, since it meant he wanted to impress them for the sake of the relationship." Ulrike started as she heard a voice behind her. She turned to see Hiroki's mother smiling at her. "Hello, you must be Ulrike. I'm Akiko, Hiroki's mother, and I've come to tell everyone to come to dinner is served."

Dinner was a fairly calm affair, and Ulrike found herself relaxing a bit. It was difficult, being the center of attention was not something that she enjoyed, but she managed not to act like an unsocialized three year old. Hiroki ran as much interference as he could, preventing Ulrike from having to answer some uncomfortable questions, but even so, it was a relief to finally get up from the table.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Hiroki's mother asked.

"Mom, Ulrike needs to be back at school before curfew," Hiroki reminded his mother.

"Ah yes, we wouldn't want anything to happen to dear Ulrike." Hiroki's father smiled at them. "Go ahead and walk her back to the academy Hiroki, but you be back soon."

"Of course, dad." More goodbyes were expressed but Ulrike was eager to get out and Hiroki, knowing this, was quick to pull her away.

"Was it as bad as you thought?" Hiroki asked once the two were walking back to Kadic.

"No," Ulrike admitted. "Though I'm not sure your parents don't think I'm a delicate little flower, despite the fact they know I play more sports than you do." Hiroki laughed.

"I think that's more of a cultural issue. My parents tend to have that view of most girls, and Yumi doesn't help them think otherwise. Don't worry, give it a little bit more time so they can get to know you, and they'll change their minds."

"Not so sure that's a good thing." Ulrike muttered, but she smiled. They spoke of inane things until they reached the gates of the school. "Well, it was a fun night, all the same, and the food was good." Ulrike said turning to Hiroki.

"I'm glad you had a good time." He smiled and took her hand. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said, and she felt the pleasant flutter in her stomach as she moved closer to Hiroki, that little bit of excitement at the closeness, at the impending kiss. Just as she expected, their lips met, the kiss chaste.

"Good night Ulrike."

"Good night Hiroki," she pulled back, headed inside towards the dorms looking back only once to see Hiroki watching her. She waved, and she couldn't help the bubble of happiness that swelled inside her. It really hadn't been a bad night at all.


	5. Meet the Parents: Belpois Addition

**Merry Christmas (if you celebrate) and happy holidays/end of year/whatever you celebrate that I don't want to misspell if you don't. I'm sorry I've been pretty much MIA for a couple months. Unfortunately college this semester really took it out of me! I had absolutely no time to write, but fortunately, once finals were over I was able to get some writing done, in the hopes of giving you guys a holiday treat. I'm hoping that I'll be able to give you guys more updates over my winter break, but I'm also going to be working, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write. **

**(UNIQUE COMMENTS) The drabbles are likely going to trickle off, and I plan to call this complete after I finish the last meet the parents part, though I may still update it occasionally. I just don't want to get anyone's hopes up.**

To say that Joëlle's parents had been apprehensive when they received news that their daughter was looking to bring a boy over for the holidays was a fairly apt description. It wasn't that they didn't trust their daughter, it was that they didn't know what she was thinking. She was a difficult child to quantify at times, had trouble controlling her emotions and expressing them clearly. She'd become more distant as of late, and they feared that maybe this boy was the cause. Still, they trusted their daughter, they wanted her happy, and they wouldn't ever say no unless they had a reason to.

The boy in question was apparently named Aias who had "some amnesia" as Joëlle had put it. That didn't mean meeting the boy wasn't still quite a surprise. Joëlle's mother studied the boy in front of her. He was slim, skinny in a way that spoke of quick growth in the gangly youth. His hair was an absolutely fetching shade of pink, and was probably natural, given his eyebrows were the same and neither seemed to have different colored roots. He also seemed to be completely clueless about absolutely everything.

"What's with all this stuff?" he asked, looking around the kitchen with wide eyes.

"It's the kitchen," Joëlle responded patiently, then she started pointing out various appliances. "That's the fridge, that's the oven, that's the microwave-"

"Is there a mixer?" Aias interrupted. Unperturbed, Joëlle nodded.

"It's in one of the cabinets. We won't be needing one tonight though," she sounded a little bit amused. Aias seemed determined to examine every inch of their house, with Joëlle patiently explaining the way each thing worked and what its purpose was. The Belpois' looked at each other in confusion. This was not what they expected when they'd been told the boy had amnesia. When the two were done, Joëlle guided Aias to the living room, where her mother and father had decided to wait for the two to finally settle in.

"So Aias, how are you liking school?" Joëlle's mother asked, trying to keep things somewhat normal. Aias smiled.

"I like it quite a lot. I'm not very fond of Italian though," he admitted, "I just can't seem to get the hang of it."

"Languages can be difficult," Mr. Belpois said.

"Yes, so my friends tell me," Aias said.

"We can't be good at everything," Joëlle agreed. She looked at the boy like stars shined out of his eyes, her mother thought.

"But why?" Aias asked, looking genuinely confused.

"That is question that will tie up philosophers and scientists for many, many years," Joëlle patted Aias' hand. "The simple answer is that people are people, and humanity is not perfect," she looked back at her parents. "Are we going to visit our cousins for Christmas, or are they going to be visiting us?" she asked, effectively changing the subject.

"They'll be coming here," Mrs. Belpois said, "in fact, I was hoping you'd be willing to cook with me, Joëlle."

"Oh! Can I help?" Aias asked bouncing in his chair. Joëlle couldn't stop the smile that popped on her face. Both parents were taken aback.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Goodness knows we could probably use the extra hands. Joëlle didn't mention you had an interest in cooking," Mrs. Belpois said.

"Oh, I never have before. It sounds like fun though!" Aias said with a great deal of enthusiasm. Joëlle's smile was quite indulgent now.

"Aias hasn't really had the chance to try, so I'm not sure he even knows if he likes cooking. If not," Joëlle said, looking at Aias with a found expression, "then you can help dad clean and prepare the house."

"Why don't you cook?" Aias asked, surprised. "Do you not like cooking?"

"Oh, that's not it. It's a matter of spending our time wisely and making sure everything is ready when our family gets here," Mr. Belpois said.

"How many members of your family are there?" Aias asked, the first of many family related questions. Aias, the Belpois' quickly realized, was a very curious, very intelligent child- and child was a more apt description than they were used to. There was an innocence, unquestionably, around the boy. Aias was an eager houseguest, willing to do just about anything, to help in any way he could.

He and Joëlle were fascinating to watch, from Joelle's patience when discussing the use of household items and basic social constructions to Aias' genuine enthusiasm for all things. The elder Belpois' had been shocked when they heard the two discussing computers. Having the normally so confused boy speak with such expertise on anything made them challenge what they'd previously thought of him. Joëlle was clearly utterly in love with the boy, but it wasn't the fleeting love they had seen in other children, in teenagers eager and hormone filled. It was a slow burn they saw, a gradual falling in love that showed their girl had been becoming closer and closer to Aias over time. They didn't know what they were expecting when they'd allowed Aias to join them, but this wasn't it.

Their girl had never been able to do anything normally, had she?

The boy was nothing but a mystery, and so perhaps it wasn't a surprise that Joëlle was so interested in him. She had always been interested in things she needed to figure out. It was this that worried her parents, in truth. They became attached to the boy, couldn't help but become attached to someone so free of negativity. They didn't want to see either of the children hurt.

"Joëlle," several days into the break, Mrs. Belpois struggled on how to start the conversation she felt she needed to have with her daughter. The two were washing dishes as they spoke, with Aias and Joëlle's father in the other room discussing his job. "You and Aias... you're...very close, right?"

"Of course. He's one of my first friends. I'm closest to him, really. I care about all of my friends, but... I care about Aias the most," she admitted with a bit of a blush. She didn't look at her mother as she carefully scrubbed the pan in front of her.

"You're father and I are just worried. Aias is so... naïve. He might not..." Mrs. Belpois struggled for a moment, taking extra time to clean the pot she was working on. "Relationships, at this age, they're difficult. You're still figuring things out, you've still got a lot of growing up to do."

"I know Mom. I know we're young. It's not like Aias and I are like... we're friends, Mom, for now. It's too early to push for anything more," Jo lle said, her blush receding only a bit. She straightened as she placed the now clean pan on the drying rack.

"Things change so easily when you're young," Mrs. Belpois said, her voice full of caution, "you may not be friends with them forever, no matter what you think now."

"I know that it's a possibility," Joëlle said after a moment of silence. "However, with us... we have a connection. I don't think that anything barring a true disaster could break us -any of us- apart. We're more than friends, Mom," she looked up earnestly at her mother, all traces of shyness gone, "we're family."

There was passion in her voice, but it was muted, covered in devotion and love. It was difficult to understand, and in that moment Mrs. Belpois realized that her girl had grown up more than she'd thought.

"Well," she said after a moment, finally rinsing the pan she'd been absent mindedly scrubbing, "your friends are always welcome here. So long as you want them to be."

"Thanks," Joëlle smiled, "I have a feeling that they'll be welcome for a very long time."

And it was true that no matter how much time passed, Aias, Hiroki, Ulrike, Willa, and Rachelle, were welcome in the Belpois home.


End file.
